Yellow tailed blue tang... sick

[dwessels]

My yellow tail blue tang started behaving strangely the other day. Was laying flat on the sand and not moving too much. Was also breathing really fast. I took the fish to the LFS and the said to put in in a QT tank with some medicine in it (Metronidazole and BiFuran+.)
The tank seemed to be doing a lot better, but then overnight started laying on his side and breathing really fast again. His yellow stripe is also brown.

Any ideas?

My main tank is 100g. 2-250MH, 2-96W actinic.
Water is:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5-10
Salility 1.023
Temp - 78

Thanks

 

[dwessels]

anyone?
The poor fish is now losing his color. He is turning whitish...

Thanks

 

[taz13777]

that happened to my tang after ich beat him up! i put him in copper and he seemed better and than 3 days later he was lying down and faded color and breathing fast and he died! Why are tangs such a pain in the A__?

 

[jthao]

blue tangs are one of the worst tangs to keep. I have a lot of tangs in my tank...... I mean a lot!!!! and I just recently got a blue hippo, never had one before because of this exact reason, but decided to get one anyways, well now he's covered with ich!!!! sorry, but he might not make it, and if he does, he'll just get sick all he time anyways.

 

[limitdown]

blue tangs are total ich magnets.
I've owned two and they both broke out with ich while in QT. One of them died. The other has been in my display for 2mths. Let's pray that the cupramine did its job....

 

[taz13777]

how long was he in qt tank with copper?

 

[dwessels]

He has been in there for 3.5 days. He is just lying on the bottom of the tank breathing fast.
His color has come back a little, but still not really moving. Not eating as well.

 

[roktsintst]

Is the tank well oxygenated?

 

[taz13777]

Yep...that was what mine did but if he is getting a little color back that is good! keep him in copper for at least 6 weeks! hope it works out!!!

 

[dwessels]

There is an airstone on the tank. He has started swimming around again and I ged him some crushed garlic and he seem a lot better.

 

[SaltyMember]

I've had a blue tang do the same thing, lie on the bottom breathing heavy, etc.. I think it is a stress reaction for them and not necessarily a sign of disease.

 

[paulamrein]

Ph and Dkh are also factors as well. what are those readings?

 

[dwessels]

Ph is 8.3-8.4
...still learning. What is Dkh?

Thanks